Month: June 2017

English is already the most common second language (by number of speakers) in the world, and more people begin studying it every day. Fortunately, the availability of learning resources is growing right along with the number of English learners. The publishing industry, web entrepreneurs, respected institutions, and enthusiasts who just want to help are producing a staggering amount of materials aimed at getting people to understand, speak, and write in English. Some of the materials are good, some of them not so much, and to help you figure out which is which, we’ve compiled a list of the ten best resources you could be using to learn English grammar.

The Elements of Style, commonly known as “Strunk and White,” is a classic style guide every American student is familiar with. It helped shape how the English language is used in the United States, for better or for worse, and as such is a required read for English language learners.

Oxford Modern English Grammar is a precious tool for any English language learner who needs a deeper understanding of how the English language works. It covers both British English and American English, and it uses examples from written and spoken English to explain the most basic grammar points as well the most complex.

Learning and testing go hand in hand. The University of Bristol’s Faculty of Arts hosts extensive grammar learning materials on their website, which include exercises to help you practice using punctuation, discern between commonly confused words, use the subjunctive, and plenty other things.

Grammar Monster is a website that offers both quick information and detailed explanations about everything that has to do with grammar. Plus, it also has a short test for each of its sections, so you can gauge how well you understood the section’s contents.

UsingEnglish.com is not the place to go looking for lessons on English grammar, but as far as grammar glossaries go, it hosts a very comprehensive one. The site also offers a vast number of tests and quizzes that can keep you occupied for a long time.

Edufind.com is a website with a very simple layout that allows you to navigate through it quickly. Even though the website’s materials aren’t organized in the form of lessons, they are written in simple, easy-to-understand language, so you can use them as a learning resource.

OxfordDictionaries.com is a fun website where you can read the Oxford Dictionaries’ blog, watch their videos, and find a dictionary that can help you learn new words. There’s also a grammar section where you can learn everything you need to know about English grammar.

The British Council has a long tradition of helping people around the world learn English, and their website contains everything from lessons, grammar explanations, and a glossary to games and apps. It’s an excellent resource for English language learners of all proficiency levels and from all walks of life.

Cambridge University Press’s Grammar in Use series of apps contains three apps: one for beginners, one for intermediate learners, and one for advanced English language learners, each corresponding to a book published by CUP. While the apps do not contain all the materials from the books, they are chock-full of activities that can help you practice English grammar anytime, anywhere.

This lesson in an intermediate class and it is all about adverbs of quantity. If you are not sure of your English level, take our test!

So, who remembers what an adverb is? That’s right! It’s a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree.

As you know, you can find all of this information, plus speaking exercises, writing exercises, vocabulary exercises and more on the ABA English Course Unit 75 “Albert the Robot”.

Adverbs of quantity – very, so, too

Ok, so we just saw what adverbs are. They are used to say how something happens or is done, and they usually end in -ly, for example: “quickly” or “slowly“.

Adverbs of quantity indicate the degree to which something is done or is.

The adverbs “very”, “so” and “too” usually go with adjectives.

For example:

“That shop is very cheap”

“This drink has too much sugar in it”

“My friend is so generous”

Adverbs of quantity – enough and not enough

As we know, adverbs of quantity go before the adjective except “enough” which comes after.

For example:

“She’s smart enough to go to university”

“She’s not smart enough to go to university”

Adverbs of quantity – quite, rather, pretty and fairly

First of all, let’s look at the meaning because some of these adverbs are not well-known:

Quite – to a very noticeable degree or extent.

Rather – to some degree or extent.

Pretty – to some degree or extent but not very or extremely.

Fairly – to some degree or extent but not very or extremely : to a reasonable or moderate extent.

You might have noticed they are quite similar. “Fairly” and “pretty” are often used synonymously, and so are “rather” and “quite”.

For example:

“She is quite sure she has lost her bag”

“Lucy is rather silly”

“The exam was pretty difficult”

“The riding test was fairly easy”

Adverbs of quantity – much, a lot, a bit, a little

You have already studied these as quantifiers in unit 29. However, they can also be adverbs of quantity when used with an adjective.

For example:

“It’s a pretty good movie but it’s a bit too long”

“My German is much more fluent than my Spanish”

“A bit” and “a little” mean the same thing and so do “much” and “a lot”.

YEEEES! You did it! You have learned all about adverbs of quantity.

In Unit 75 “Albert the Robot”, you will see a conversation take place in a shop. Find out how the salesman convinces the lady to buy a robot! By watching the ABA Film, you will practice your listening comprehension. Record your voice and compare phrases to improve your speaking and learn how to write correctly. You will also gain fluency by interpreting roles and then you will learn the grammar and new vocabulary.

So remember: if you enjoyed this lesson and want to see many more conversation examples, don’t forget to sign up! (it’s free!)